Blue like what they get in Hallett

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This article was published 30/04/2020 (2180 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers filled a glaring need with their first pick in Thursday’s CFL Draft, choosing McMaster University safety Noah Hallett in the second round, 18th overall.

Hallett should be to contribute immediately at the start of his pro career because the Blue Bombers entered the draft without an established homegrown safety on the roster.

And Hallett, a well-regarded prospect from London, Ont., is believed to have the potential of developing into a starter. He was a U Sports second-team all-Canadian and a first-team conference all-star in 2019. He also had four interceptions.

Veteran Canadian backup Derek Jones left the club in free agency to the B.C. Lions while Jeff Hecht, who began the season as the starter at safety but lost his job to American Brandon Alexander, remains an unsigned free agent.

Winnipeg likely had a detailed scouting report on Hallett, whose older brother Nick, a defensive back from the University of Toronto, was Winnipeg’s seventh-round choice in the 2019 draft.

Noah Hallett, a 6-0, 190-pounder, played 23 games in three seasons with the Marauders, registering 68 1/2 total tackles, four tackles for a loss, 15 pass breakups, seven interceptions, three sacks and one forced fumble.

Meanwhile, Nick Hallett made an immediate impact on the Blue Bombers lineup during the club’s run to the Grey Cup, making 13 special-teams tackles and playing in every game for the Blue Bombers last season.

Winnipeg, which gave up its first- and third-round picks in a deal with the Toronto Argonauts for quarterback Zach Collaros last season, took Nevada wide receiver Brendan O’Leary-Orange with its next pick in the fourth round, 37th overall. O’Leary-Orange’s father is Doyle Orange, who played four seasons in the CFL with Toronto and Hamilton in the mid-’70s.

Two picks later, the Bombers took Western Ontario kicker Marc Liegghio, followed by defensive end Nicholas Dheilly of the Saskatchewan Huskies in the fifth round, 46th overall pick. Dheilly, a 6-5, 230-pounder, was the Canada West rookie of the year in 2016. 

In the sixth round, Winnipeg grabbed Ottawa linebacker Kyle Rodger 55th overall before taking Wilfred Laurier linebacker Tanner Cadwallader in the seventh (64th) and Western Ontario defensive back Blesha Kambamba in the eighth (73rd). 

The first Manitoban off the board was University of North Dakota defensive end Mason Bennett, who landed with the Tiger-Cats with the eighth choice of the first round.

Bennett, a graduate of Vincent Massey Collegiate, rose to eighth on the CFL Scouting Bureau’s mid-season list of top prospects for the draft and finished No. 10 in the final rankings released in April.

The 6-4, 262-pounder was bypassed during the NFL Draft.

Bennett, who had 5 1/2 sacks, 22 solo tackles and 17 assisted tackles in 10 games with UND, missed two games with a partially torn left hamstring but the injury did not require surgery and he returned to finish the 2019 season.

Bennett was a third-team FCS all-American in his senior season with the Fighting Hawks.

Late Thursday, the Montreal Alouettes made Manitoba defensive end Brock Gowanlock of Duncan, B.C., the 66th pick over the event. Gowanlock’s teammate, wide receiver Macho Bockru, generated pre-draft interest but was not chosen. He is likely to sign as a free agent.

The B.C. Lions generated some excitement early in the proceedings, trading up to grab the No. 1 overall pick previously held by the Calgary Stampeders to get East Carolina linebacker Jordan Williams.

The Lions shipped the third-overall pick and the 12th-overall choice to the Stamps for the first and 15th choices. Calgary proceeded to take Southeastern Louisiana defensive end Isaac Adetenu-Berglund with the third pick and snagged UBC wide reciever Trivel Pinto with the 12th pick.

Pinto, who has completed a one-year drug suspension, could have a major impact at the CFL level. B.C. followed up by choosing a quarterback, Ohio’s Nathan Rourke, in the No. 15 slot.

The Argonauts, meanwhile, grabbed wide receiver Dejon Brissett from Virginia third overall.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14